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Countryside Productivity - Water Resource Management Grants

Countryside Productivity - Water Resource Management Grants

Countryside Productivity - Water Resource Management Grants

The Government have recently announced £200m of RDPE funding to support rural businesses including farmers. One package is for funding available under the Countryside Productivity Scheme. This scheme is made up of three elements Water Resource Management, Improving Forestry Productivity and Animal Health and Welfare.

Below is a summary of the Water Resource Management grant scheme.

If you feel this would be of interest to your business please do not hesitate to contact one of the consultants in the office to discuss your idea further. 

Water Resource Management:

Aim:

These grants are to improve farm productivity through more efficient use of water for irrigation and to secure water supplies for crop irrigation by the construction of on-farm reservoirs.

Suitable Businesses:

Only arable and horticultural businesses growing or intending to grow irrigated crops. Farms must have water metering in place in order to receive a grant.

If the project increases the irrigated area then the water body which you abstract water from must be classified as ‘good’ or ‘high’ or the reason for not attaining ‘Good’ status does not relate to the quantity of water available.

Grant:

Up to 40%

Minimum grant £35,000 (minimum eligible cost of project £87,500) 

Maximum grant £1m

Allocation of grants are competitive

Priorities for Funding:

  • Improve productivity
  • Enhance resilience
  • Improve efficiency
  • Introduce innocation
  • Grow your business
  • Encourage collaberation

Applications:

The application is a single stage process. The application is assessed against the priorities and the following points:

  • Strategic fit
  • Value for money
  • Need and demand
  • Financial viability
  • Delivery and sustainability

Applications are then scored and ranked against others submitted for these grants. Only the highest scored projects will receive funding.

Deadlines:

Grant applications must be submitted before 30th April 2018

The application will be assessed within 60 working days

The project must be finished and paid for with the grant claim submitted by 31 March 2019

Eligible Costs:

  • Constructing a water storage reservoir to be filled by peak flow surface water abstraction, borehole or rainwater harvesting (Construction of dam walls, synthetic liner, overflow/spillway)
  • Associated infrastructure costs (abstraction point and pump, pipework, water meters, irrigation pumps and controls, pumphouse, underground water distribution main and hydrants, filtration equipment)
  • Fencing of synthetically lined reservoirs only
  • Best practice of innovative water application equipment (trickle irrigation, boom irrigators, software and sensors)
  • Construction engineer fees (subject to not being > 15% of total costs)

You must have planning consent and relevant abstraction licences in place before submitting the application.

AKC
Offices 4 - 11 CDL Business Park
Lower Road, Erlestoke
Devizes
Wiltshire
SN10 5UE